I would never have rotors turned. If the brakes are working fine, just replace the pads. If the rotors are warped, I'd replace them. Machining the rotors only makes them weaker, and more likely to warp again.

I have 2009 Accord and I have about 15k right now and I don't need to replace pads YET, I was wondering if I could still buy the pads for the future and still get reimbursed of $150 from the settlement?

I have not received my $150.00 yet. I can not wait to cash that check. All Honda had to do is pony up on their bad design and make it right but now they have lost many customers and a boat load of sales. Update on my Ford Fusion is 22,000 trouble free miles and only oil changes.

I have an 09 Accord, the odometer just rolled over to 12,000 miles. I bought it brand new in Nov 2009 (it's only 9 months old!!) and it already needs rear brakes.

I made an appt to get it done next week, but the brake pedal is on the floor before it does anything! This is ridiculous, and unacceptable. I'm familiar with the class action settlement, even though I think we got the shaft on that. Only $150 reimbursement, really?? The dealer wants $200, and this is a brand new car!

Just got off the phone with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and filed a complaint to force a RECALL. They said this is the 1st complaint they've heard! I urge ALL OF YOU TO CALL NOW! If enough complain, then we can force Honda to recall this piece of crap. My last Honda ever. German cars from now on.

I hope you like the service departments at your local VW/Audi/BMW/Mercedes-Benz dealer, because they sure like you. If you're looking for low maintenance and repair costs, the absolute last place you need to look is at German cars.

I won't pretend to know everything about this current brake issue... some haven't noticed early wear but it seems that quite a few others have. I have an 06 Accord with over 84k on the original brakes. Thegrad and elroy have the previous generation as well so we won't be making any calls.

However, it does sound like Honda has found and fixed the problem. If they are giving you $150 toward a $200 brake job and you got 12k miles out of the old ones, you are only out $50 with brand new brakes.

I'm sure that is frustrating and I can understand that you won't be interested in buying a Honda in the future. Some of us keep our cars for a long time (for elroy and me, that means at least 10 years) so their point about paying more up front for a BMW is well-taken.

Your logic doesn't really make sense. Okay so let's say I spend $50 for this set of brakes. What about the 24k miles, and 36k, and 48k...etc etc ? The $150 credit is a one time deal. But from then on, I have to spend $200 every 8 months for a new set of brakes (in addition to the car payments, oil changes, tire rotations, and other routine maintenance). Mind you, this is all for a brand-spanking new car that's hardly broken in.

And you talk about keeping a car long term. That's what I was hoping too, but if a vehicle needs constant repair, you have to factor that repair cost into the overall cost of owning a vehicle. So let's say a BMW costs more upfront, but a Honda could end up costing you more over the long run with excess repairs. Plus you have to factor in that a BMW is a higher class luxury car, so we're not exactly talking oranges to oranges here.

I was merely using BMW as an example of what seems to be a better made product, or at the very last, a company who stands behind their product. Is Honda doing that? NO. They won't admit wrong doing, and they are refusing to do a recall. That sounds like a big 'SCREW YOU' to honda consumers everywhere. Everyone with an 08-09 accord (the model years with poor brake quality) knows what I'm talking about.

I was under the impression that Honda fixed the brake issue. My understanding was that they are putting different (better) brakes when they replace them so that you won't have to replace them every 12k.

I heard the "new" brake pads (part # ending in "40") isn't much better than the original brake pads. Although the service advisors at the dealerships won't admit it, I spoke to a guy at the Honda Dealer - Parts Dept, and he confirmed he still gets complaints about the new brake pads all the time. He says they're not much better. I guess only time will tell......but the general consensus is that the overall brake system design is flawed. The "better pads" (whatever that means) is more of a band-aid fix.

$2k for 2 years and 50k miles worth of warranty sounds like a good deal? I beg to differ. Excluding tires, $2,000 hasn't been spent on my 15 year old car with 214k miles on it. And, a trip to the dealer every short while for a repair isn't a very "premium" experience.

If you're buying a Bimmer/Benz etc for a short term, the reliability equation is less important. European cars are known for little problems that add-up quickly. Read a long-term test of the BMW 750 here on Edmunds Inside Line. $100k car with more warning lights pop up than I've ever seen in my 200k+ vehicle. Yes, it is a more complicated car with an overwhelming amount of electronics. However, if those electronics quit working after 20k miles, what fun is that?

Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of the current generation Accord (I think Honda's last truly great Accords were in the 90s, although I do like my '06 2.4L - 63k and lots of meat still on all the brake pads), but I stand by my claim that buying European to save money on maintenance is as like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

I read with interest anyone's post about a relatively-recent car with premature pad and rotor wear.

GM warranties 'pads and linings' for 12K miles, but does not exclude rotors; hence, I have had rotors resurfaced and also replaced free, up to 40.8K miles (goodwill gesture at that point). I'm amazed when I read that even some GM dealers are not aware of GM's warranty on rotors, simply lumping them in with "pads and linings". I also have seen a GM TSB advising dealers to consider replacing pads for free if they are needed before 24K miles.

I recently bought a 2008 Chrysler product used, and the warranty is adamant that rotors are only warrantied for 12K miles, and also that the powertrain warranty isn't transferrable to subsequent owners (like GM's can). Who'da thunk that the Satan of auto manufacturers, GM, has had stronger warranties than many more looked-up-to brands?

Wow, I can't beileve some of you guys are defending Honda. The company would be lucky to have you as their spokesperson - "Honda, we make a crappy product now, but we're riding on our reputation built over the last couple decades." Good for you guys.

I, for one, am extremely irritated. A company that does not stand behind their product, even in the face of numerous documented cases, and just signs a partial settlement where they admit no wrongdoing and only pay for part of the brake job (for only the 1st brake change) - how can anyone have respect for such a company? I guess they're really not looking for repeat business anymore. Those of you that own 2004, or 2006 models, that's great, you lucked out. But you're not really in a position to judge those of us who have to do deal with the 08-09 (and early 2010) models that are experiencing these issues - and will continue to experience these issues for a 5 year car finance term.

I'm not judging your desire to sell; I don't even blame you. I do however think it absurd to buy European to ensure low-cost and reliability. Those things (European vehicles and a very quiet repair history) are mutually exclusive, generally.

I'm not defending Honda. I find it dumb that my rear-view mirror glass fell off after 1,000 miles, and my CD changer had to be replaced at 36k miles, but in general, Asian makes are better (and cheaper to maintain) in reliability than Europeans.

I guess I'm with "thegraduate" on this analysis - I totally understand why a bad brand experience would make you want to avoid the brand altogether. I've had a similar experience myself.

But going to a European brand to avoid costs associated with maintenance doesn't add up mathematically. That's where I don't get it. I bought a vehicle from a manufacturer with whom I've had good reliability experiences. I paid about $20K (slightly used). I've had it for 75K miles, and, being generous, I've spent no more than $2,500 for maintenance over that time. Anyone can change the oil in it - no specialty oil, parts, or anything. Would I have been better off with a Euro brand, for which I'd have paid over $30,000, plus the $2,000 extended maintenance contract, after which all the maintenance is "free"? That doesn't make sense to me.

And I've owned a Euro brand or two. Never again, or not soon - want to see high-cost repairs, and shops that say, "well, that's just a known fault of these cars" every time you have a major electrical failure? Then Euro is for you.

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I generally would agree with you regarding the reliability of asian cars - that's all I've ever owned (toyota, nissan, honda). I would agree with you, up until now that is.

Perhaps a german car would be considered slightly more overpriced. But an entry level BMW 3 costs what, $32k, thereabouts (if you negotiate it right). And they take care of it for 4 years / 50,000 miles for free. Should you CHOOSE to buy an extended coverage plan, they can go up to 100,000 miles / 6 yrs (but we won't talk about that in our example).

It sounds like your vehicle has already had certain costs associated with it. I know mine is just beginning with its costs. If you factor what appear to be "small" maintenance costs, over a 4 year term, I think you'll find that a Honda ends up costing a lot closer to a BMW than you might think.

Plus factor in that a Honda shouldn't cost anywhere near a BMW - since a BMW is a luxury car, and a honda is just a sedan (a quality japanese sedan, albeit, but still a sedan). You might as well add an additional $2-3k to your Honda invoice price before you drive it off the showroom floor. Not to mention the aggrevation of dealing with it, the poor customer service everyone is complaining about, the lack of a complimentary loaner car while they work on it, having to take time off work to deal with it, etc etc. What's the true cost of ownership for an Accord nowadays? Certainly a lot higher than it used to be. I'm by no means a BMW fan boy, in fact I never really was a fan of their cars. But my friends own them and love them. I never really understood why. But there's something to be said for a company that takes care of its customers, and works to earn repeat business. I'm using them as an example of a company that stands behind their product, and builds it with quality. Do you think BMW would put out such a defective brake system, if they had to fix it for free every 12k miles as part of the included maintenance plan? I think not. But Honda was fine with it, and still refuse to admit fault, because they figure we'll just deal with it and pay for it out of our own pockets. Are they trying to sell you ONE car and they're done? Or are they selling you a Quality Brand for life? I guess it depends who you're buying from.

Kirstie - I never said a BMW was cheaper. But you get more value for your purchase. By all means a BMW DOES cost more. It SHOULD - it's a luxury car. But how much you paid for it, versus the quality you get from it, is what I'm evaluating here.

I guess I should have stated that I own an Infiniti. I was simply saying that I got good value without having to pay extra to have the maintenance costs rolled into the purchase price. In fact, I came out ahead.

Some people prefer to have it all in one package, and I understand that - that's how "all-inclusive" resorts work as well - you end up spending more at the outset for a zero out-of-pocket expense later, and a know, fixed cost. Nothing wrong with it!

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First, I don't think there will be a recall on the brake issue. I think recalls are for "Safety" related issues. The early brake pad wear is a wear issue, not a "Safety" issue. The brakes, even if they wear early, still work.

I do all my own maintenance and any repairs I can handle, so the extended service contracts some companies offer would be useless to me. I've been driving Accords (92 and 03) since 91, and I have had reliable service from both of them. The rear pads on the 03 did wear a little early. I changed the rear pads at 47k miles, and the front pads at 60k. The only repair, I've paid for on the 03, in 7 years and 80k miles, is a door lock actuator (less than $40), I'm sure, if my brakes were worn at 20k miles, and I had to take my car to the dealership for service, I would have some complaints too.

I think all car companies make lemons, but I do think some companies have a better track record in that department. I hang around quite a few Honda forums, and you don't have to look very hard to find complaints about any car, including the 03 V6 model I own (automatic transmission failures, brake problems, rattles, alignment issues etc.). Maybe I'm just lucky, and pick the good ones, but I'm certainly not down on Honda at this point. It's nice to have 1 car I don't have to consistantly work on. Good luck with your Accord, and hopefully your next set of brake pads will last much longer. I think you should wait and see if the new pads work, before you just write the company off over $50.